September 7, 2006
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I have shingles. Seriously. I feel scabby and contagious! And here I thought it was only my laugh and general good nature that were contagious.
My prescription cost me $161. I just found out, through the wonders of this thing called the internet, that it's the same medication prescribed for herpes. Now I know why the Indian pharmacist gave me a knowing, sidelong glance/smirk while he explained that "this medication is for wiral infections only..."
Extreme stress, folks. That's apparently what can cause shingles. Well, that and a previous case of the smallpox. Isn't the human body amazing? Even in its breakdown, it is amazing. Aren't the little buggers that invade our body and cause us great physical discomfort fascinatingly efficient? I think they are. Fearfully and wonderfully made? Maybe just fearfully. Unless you're a virologist. But clearly I'm not.
So yeah. $161. Thank goodess for full prescription medical coverage.
Comments (9)
Shingles comes from the same virus, herpes zoster, that also causes chicken pox. I loved my microbiology class, you learn all kinds of fascinating information.
And I hear the shingles suck. I hope your meds are effective in giving relief.
You're the 3rd person I've known in the past few weeks to get herpes...I mean shingles....maybe it's the stress of all the sleeping around you do in Texas. Get well soon, Drew.
I had shingles once. Ouch!
Good thing you aren't in SA. Medical insurance here generally sucks.
Those nasty "wiral infections", oh Prince of proper punctuation. Sorry to hear about your bout with the stuff. I thought Canadian meds were ridiculously cheaper than American meds... but then I've never battle with Herpes.
So hows working with the kids up there? Seriously, after what we endured in SK... you went and got a job working with kids? I needed at least a year to recover/heal up. Hope you feel better soon.
I can sympathize. I had shingles my junior year at bfa...went home early for spring break...that was nice. Man, I too pray that your meds kick in, because I know i was plain miserable for so long, that itchy/achy/painful feeling. yuck! Hope you get better soon.
One thing I learned from my doctor when I had it is that it only spreads on one side of the body. It never spreads past your spinal cord...something to do with all the nerves...i thought that was interesting.
Anyway, I hope you getter better soon. I'll be praying for you.
By the way, what are you up to these days? I haven't heard what your present occupation is...
I am always fascinated with things that go wrong with the body...although at the moment I am a little disturbed that the medication used for herpes is also the medication used for shingles... I wonder how THAT happened?
I hope you recover quickly and find life to be less stressful...
Oh No... that sucks. My dad had shingles in his throat and face. At first the doctors thought it was a stroke. It took almost a year for him to get over it. If you got it on your skin you are lucky. It's painful but heals quickly. Good luck and get well soon. And check your email.
oh yeah... and Chocolat was a great movie